This week is a critical week on the infrastructure front here in Washington, D.C., as a key bipartisan group of senators continue their deliberations in haste with the White House. In the midst of this (hopeful) momentum, Denny Law, general manager and chief executive officer of Golden West Telecommunications Cooperative (Wall, S.D.), testified at a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband on the importance of building strong, secure broadband networks. As the saying goes, “timing is everything,” and Denny’s timing to get on a plane and share the Golden West story with policymakers could not have been better.
Golden West is a member of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and serves more than 30,000 customers over a service territory with fewer than 2 customers per square mile. If anyone is well-versed on the challenge of bringing robust broadband to those living in rural America, it is Golden West.
Law testified on the importance of investing in technology like fiber that is future-proof and can withstand network threats. I found it particularly powerful when he noted that the Universal Service Fund is the foundation for quality, reliable, scalable networks in rural America and is a key tool for sustaining these networks not only in 2021, but 2031, 2041 and beyond.
“Deployment of cheaper technologies than fiber often sounds attractive in rural markets, but it comes at a different kind of cost,” said Law in his opening remarks. “Technology that causes connectivity to be spotty when it rains or snows, suffer from degradation or completely shutdown in extreme temperatures, encounter line-of-sight issues with seasonal foliage growth, or have network components exposed to the elements, may be less expensive to install initially, but these technologies often come with higher operating costs over time and lack the kind of reliability for essential functions.”
Law’s full written testimony can be found here and is certainly worth the read.
Of particular note was the passion and knowledge that Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D- N.M.) brought to the topic. His concern for those still waiting for connectivity, his focus on digital equality for those who have affordability challenges and his sentiment of not settling for second class service for rural Americans found me cheering at my iPad as I watched the hearing remotely. We have a great deal of work to do in the days ahead but I have a renewed sense of optimism about our ability as a country to take this once in a generation moment and get the job done!
